CVE-2012-6135 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in passenger. A fix is available for passenger — see the affected versions and patch details below.
RubyGems passenger gem allows remote attackers to delete files
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
passengerReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects RubyGems packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
RubyGems passenger 4.0.0 betas 1 and 2 allows remote attackers to delete arbitrary files during the startup process.
Affects both open source and Enterprise versions (4.0.0.beta1, 4.0.0.beta2).
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💎RubyGems | passenger | all versions | 4.0.0.rc4bundle update passenger --conservative |
Affected Products
passengerphusionopenshiftredhatDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for passenger, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update passenger to 4.0.0.rc4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2012-6135 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2012-6135 in your dependencies?
Find it across RubyGems, including transitive dependencies.